"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but
precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud
shine?"

From: Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest
Lesson.
by Mitch Albom.

So much of what we do in teaching and research is to make connections.
We connect with our students in the classroom and help them to connect
with a body of information. We connect our research with what has gone
before and with the current work of others. Throughout this process are
the individuals who share in that process and it is there, for me, where
the richness lies.

Karen Crawford

Developmental Biologist ~ Associate Professor

Joined St. Mary's College of Maryland: 1991

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that direct patterns and form
structures in development is what captures my imagination and drives my
curiosity in science. I grew up on a farm in Indiana and for as long as
I can remember living things have fascinated me. Specifically, it was
the process of becoming, birth, growth, change and the repetitive patterns
in things that caught my attention. This curiosity is what led me to be
a scientist.

I chose to base my career at St. Mary's College because it allowed me
to do the two things I most enjoy, teach and conduct research shoulder
to shoulder with my students. As a result, I have been blessed with one
of life's greatest privileges, helping young people discover their potentials,
talents and futures. This privilege often begins in the classroom, and
at St. Mary's College I teach Developmental Biology, Human Anatomy and
Physiology, and Contemporary Bioscience, in addition to participating
in our first year Principles of Biology course. In the classroom, I can
get to know my students, their interests and dreams. This interaction
frequently helps me to direct them to faculty pursuing research that might
be interesting to them or helps them to connect with research projects
in my own lab.

My research involves understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms
of pattern formation in developing and regenerating systems. In collaboration
with my students, we study limb regeneration and metamorphosis in the
Mexican axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, and have expanded our work
to include exploring the molecular mechanism of regeneration in the fresh
water oligochaete worm, Lumbiculus variegatus. Most recently, I
have returned to the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, during
the summers, and a body of work that I began during graduate school. At
the MBL I study the embryonic development of the long-finned squid, Loligo
pealei, and am able to prepare samples that my students can work with
throughout the year at St. Mary's College.

In addition to my current service as chair of the Biology Department,
I serve as chair of the Health Sciences Advisory Committee and assist
students interested in careers in the health sciences.

Beyond St. Mary's College, I serve as the chair of the Professional
Development and Education Committee for the Society for Developmental
Biology [www.sdbonline.org].

Journal Articles: SMC co-authors are listed in bold.

David L. Stocum and Karen Crawford. (1987) Use of retinoids to analyze
the cellular basis of positional memory in regenerating amphibian limbs.
The Canadian Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 65: 750-761.

Karen Crawford (2002) Culture Method for In Vitro Fertilization to Hatching
of the Squid, Loligo pealeii. In press, Biological Bulletin. October
(in press).

Karen Crawford (2002) Pronuclear migration of in vitro fertilized and
activated eggs of the squid Loligo pealei, and its relationship
to the embryonic axes. In preparation for submission to Developmental
Biology.

Karen Crawford, Daniel Backof, and Sarah Cramer (2002)
It's getting a head that counts, head regeneration is precisely regulated
in the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus. In preparation for submission
to the Journal of Experimental Zoology.

Chapters in Encyclopedias:

Karen Crawford (2000) Regeneration: Growth Factors. For the Encyclopedia
of Life Sciences, Macmillan Reference Limited, Stockton Press. Available
via the ELS Macmillan website, ELS@nature.com,
and in paper form from Macmillan Press.